Sydney Sweeney hit back at criticism of her raunchy new advert for sports betting platform Novig on Sunday, sharing a series of Instagram Stories spotlighting other celebrities who have posed nude.
The 29-year-old former "Euphoria" star posted another clip of the Novig commercial, which first aired last Wednesday, alongside promotional photos showing her in the buff or nearly nude.
On her Stories, marked "gamedayyy," Sweeney appeared to poke fun at social media users who had accused her of using her body to promote the sports-only prediction market app. She shared photos of Serena Williams, Ronda Rousey, Sue Bird, Megan Rapinoe and Caroline Wozniacki baring skin for magazine shoots, as well as men including Myles Garrett, Rob Gronkowski, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jason Kelce who have stripped down for sports campaigns in the past.
Backlash to the ad
Sweeney has not directly responded to commenters who said they were left "disgusted" and "disappointed" after watching the commercial. One Instagram user wrote underneath her original post: "As a former athlete and a woman who has personally experienced sexualized comments, I'm genuinely disgusted and disappointed by this campaign. We've spent years fighting to be seen and respected for our talent, strength and achievements, not reduced to our bodies..."
Another user wrote: "It's too bad she couldn't do an ad like this with her clothes on. It's meant to be controversial just like Brooke Shields years ago. That's what sells unfortunately." A third added: "This is sad at this point. Can't sell or be a normal girl if she doesn't use her body as a tool. Sexualizing sports like this is crazy."
The Novig commercial
Sweeney, who is no stranger to nudity thanks to her role on "Euphoria," shocked fans over the past week by posing completely naked for what has been called the most provocative commercial of her career, made for sports prediction market Novig.
According to Novig founder and chief executive Jacob Fortinsky, it was Sweeney herself who decided to get nude for the campaign. He told Front Office Sports she was drawn to Novig because it focuses strictly on sports predictions, unlike other platforms that let users bet on almost anything. "She said, 'I'm uncomfortable with other platforms that have markets on what color underwear I'm going to wear,'" Fortinsky recalled. "There's something clean about sports," she reportedly said.
Sweeney has an equity stake in Novig, Fortinsky said, which he suggested made it no surprise she was happy to create another watercooler moment. "Sydney is great at captivating audiences and being the center of attention," he said. "In some sense, it forces us into the national discourse."
What happens in the commercial
In the ad, Sweeney gets completely naked and uses a variety of sports equipment to protect her modesty. "Think you know sports? Prove it. Novig is just sports," she says. Sitting naked on a basketball hoop, she continues, "So they wanted a show? Just sports."
Now wearing just shoulder pads with a football placed over her crotch area, she adds, "You can trade this sport. And this sport." She later continues, "No betting on wars or deaths and no politics. Just you, your takes, and sports."
Scooter Braun's influence
The commercial comes after reports that Sweeney's boyfriend, media mogul Scooter Braun, has become an influence on her career. According to Puck News, Braun was a factor in Sweeney's recent decision to sign with Hollywood power player Kevin Huvane at Creative Artists Agency. Braun reportedly set Sweeney up for dinner with Huvane without her other management knowing, which led her to sign with him over rival agents who had been "clamoring for a similar sit-down" with her.
The move came around the same time that Sweeney split from her longtime publicity team at ImPRint PR after a decade. Both sides were reportedly happy to move on, with the ImPRint team growing "frustrated" that Sweeney was no longer listening to their advice. Puck noted that when ImPRint sent Sweeney to Variety's Power of Women event last year in a bid to get her taken more seriously as an awards-worthy actress, she instead showed up in a sheer silver gown that highlighted her figure.
It remains unclear whether Braun, who previously managed Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato, has any say in Sweeney's current publicity strategy or wardrobe choices. The Daily Mail contacted Braun, ImPRint and Sweeney for comment at the time.
